Monster at Heart
by IceTailTheCat
Summary: A young girl name Coriander finds herself in the land of the monsters that live beneath children's beds. What problems will await her in her new life? And will she fall for the misunderstood dictator of this place, Boy? Romance-ish. Ad
1. Chapter 1

He sat in his colorful playroom, it's bright pastel hues so bright they became painful to the eyes, if you looked at them long enough. He gazed upon the walls, littered with expensive toys and ponderously large stuffed animals.

This room is for someone much younger then I... Boy thought to himself, straightening the bow on the teddy bear he held in his lap. Teddy bears had always been his favorite..

But still... No! These are wonderful, fun toys. I love them all. I want nothing else!

He'd told himself this more and more often lately. It was becoming increasing hard to fight back the urges of teen hood. He was becoming less interested in his toys. His rooms, filled with fun and childhood amusement, were beginning to feel more empty.

Hollow.

He quickly put down the bear.

I must find something to amuse myself. I know, I need a new playmate! That's it!

It had been nearly a month since his last "pal". He needed someone new. He had to distract himself. But he couldn't deny the fact he was becoming increasingly aware of his growth; mentally and physically. His shoes always had to be resized, since his brand of shoe came in much smaller sizes then for a person of his age. Same thing with his cloths.

But the must unsettling thing of all... was his longing for a friend. A serious friend. He'd tried his hardest to resist the influences outside his walls. He was lucky enough to have been able to avoid other teenage crossroads... Puberty being one of them. But he couldn't deny his longing for someone more then a playmate.

He got up, moving from wall to wall, trying to pick a toy to take his mind off the subject.

Playing always clears my mind... I don't want to grow up. Honestly I don't.

He tried to avoid this matter of growing up, but he knew he couldn't avoid it forever. He sighed, giving up on choosing a toy.

Oh well. I'll watch some cartoons to cheer me up.

He began walking down the halls, towards his movie sized theater, installed just for watching his favorite childhood shows.

This is what I want... What I'll always want, without a doubt. Who needs gir?-

The sound of the door opening from the stairway outside interupted his thoughts. It was Snik. He immediately felt excited. Maybe Snik would have brought him a new toy. Or maybe a knew playmate.

"Boy? Master? I've brought you someone." Snik grumbled. He sounded exhausted. He heard grunts from whoever Snik was carrying.

Boy practically skipped to the metal stairs leading into the opening room.

"Hello?-" He swallowed. His heart flew and he went rigid.

Snik was holding a girl.


	2. Chapter 2

My name is Coriander. Coriander Sage Amador.

But most people just call me Cory.

Once, I was a teenage girl. Well, I'm still a girl, and I'm still 15, but I'm very different now from, maybe, two weeks ago? I've lost track of time here.

It all started then. That night. It was a dark night, storming I believe. The hoarse wind sent sheets of thick rain crashing against my window. The thunder resounded through the hollow halls in our new house.

I guess you could say I had a fine life. A mother, a father, no brothers or sisters. I'm proud to say I loved my parents. I'd have never said a bad word against them, and I knew they loved me.

My mother, 27 and still active as a teen, taught me to be strong and hard headed. I told her everything, and I felt as though she was my friend as well as my mother.

And of course I was a daddy's girl too. Fishing trips, daddy-daughter movie nights, all that.

Until that night. It was 3:00 in the morning, still no sleep. I regarded my bedroom door questioningly. The lights had lost power for about 15 minutes now, and I half expected my father to come bustling through the door, flashlight and hot coco in hand.

But my parents must have been sleeping. And they both worked two jobs, so I decided against waking them.

I lay on my side, brushing my caramel brown hair out of my face. I have very thick hair, you see. Always getting in the way. I rose to my feet, sliding them both into my fuzzy slippers. I padded across my room, glancing at my new walls; clad with posters and pictures of my friends and I, but still so strange.

I woddled to my dressers, reaching blindly for a hair tie. That's when I heard it.

A noise, barely a thump, behind me. I spun around, peering into the shadows.

"H-hello?" I said quietly.

The noise sounded again. Closer now.

My heart rate quickened.

"Hello?" I said more boldy now.

A dark figure moved by my feet. I heard it's breath, and I felt it's hand brush my leg.

Out of pure instinct, I kicked out my right foot with power Ranger speed, knocking, well, whatever it was straight on it's rear. I heard the thing gasp, then whimper, then recede.

It seemed to recede right beneath my bed.

"What the?.." I thought out loud.

I scuttled to the floor, looking directly under my sturdy pine bed frame. My purple spotted bedspread was still swinging back and forth, as though something had brushed past it.

I leaned closer under my bed.

"Hel?- AH!"

Before I knew what happened, my hands sank beneath the wooden planks of the floor. I curled into the fetal position, covering my neck, as I began my descent. I kept my eyes glued shut, stifling a scream.

I hit the the bottom with a thud. I expected to feel the tiled floor of my new kitchen, adorned with hardwood cabinets and granite countertops, but instead I was greeted with dirt and a strange looking staircase. A glittery substance littered the floor, and the entire expanse was filled with a strange, red glow.

"Hello?!" I spoke loudly, angered by the sudden disruption of peace and from the fear that was rising in my chest.

"Is anyone there?!" The place seemed eerily quiet, a silenced that seemed out of place, even to a newcomer like myself.

"Anyone?!" I practically hollered this time, becoming more frightened my the minute. My chest practically froze when I saw the beast that lumbered towards me.

The beast had a large humpback, and it was blue. A cigarette hung limply from his mouth, sputtering smoke and ember. His lower jaw was extended, adorning a row of harsh looking, sharp teeth. He had a look of unamusement on his face, as it was scrunched.

"Who are you?!" The thing boomed.

I recoiled, from the sudden breaking of silenced startled me. "I-"

"What are yo?- A human?!" It exploded. "What are you doing here?! Who came with you?!"

"I-" The thing, I assumed was a male, gave me no chance to reply. It picked me up by the neck of my nightgown.

"I don't care how you got down here, but humans aren't welcome!" His breathe smelled of putrid smoke.

I was scared, terrified even, but how dare this thing disrespect me?

"Excuse you, sir!" I made my voice known "Who are you to talk to me in such a way!"

I kicked in vain at his torso, though he just held me away like a disease.

He grumbled "I'll have Boy deal with you. He needs a new playmate regardless."

I refrained from kicking him for a moment. "Excuse me, whom?" What kind of a name was Boy? Was he some maniac?

And how did I get here?

The thing didn't listen to my question. He held me at a safe distance, since I was still kicking passionately. We began ascending the stairs. By the time we arrived at the huge metal doors, my kicks were less precise or dignified, and the creature held me under his arm as I gasped curses and panted. The doors opened with a creak, revealing a room full of the most odd things: Toys.

In a world where big brutes like the one that carried me know roamed, it was the least thing I would have imagined in the liar of a possible dictator.

Odd.

I thought to myself. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadowing figure came into view a top the large metal staircase.

"Yes, Snik?" The person's voice was strange; it sounded tired, maybe even... lonely.

I dared to look up at the person, and my gaze hit the floor again in the same instant. My face reddened.

Why, of all the forms an evil ruler could take, does it have to be a boy?

I thought to myself.

I wasn't good with boys. Or men. Or males in general. I even felt awkward around my tomcat. I was rather a social person in school. I was kind, brave, and wasn't afraid to stand up for the weaker. Unless the opposing was of the opposite gender.

I felt oddly attracted to this figure. At the quick glance, Id taken in a long thin male with tight black curls and a nice face. I dared to peer again. On closer inspection of the person, I noticed scars on his hairline, and his hands. I also noticed a large, patched area behind his head. Stranger still was what he was wearing; the outfit of a young boy, when the style was outdated by at least 20 years and it was obvious he was too old for it.

But to say the least, he was cute and good facial features.

"I found a human, Boy. Sitting right outside one of our doors. It looks as if she fell through the barrier. That's all I know... I supposed you need a new.. pal." Even the beast seemed uncomfortable addressing him. Who was this person.

Boy walked down the stairs, a smile plastered on his face. It looked fake. I liked him better when he was solemn. It was less scary.

"Well hello. Snik, put her down."

Snik did as he was told. "Good. Now, dear," he turned to me, smiling a more genuine smile. Again, I blushed. I felt ashamed of myself, but I just couldn't help it. I tried to look dignified, failing horribly, looking like a mix of pained and needing to use the bathroom.

Great. Now I look even more like a retard.

"What's your name?" He shook my hand, looking as awkward as I did.

She felt as though she'd faint.

"Come along, a cute thing like you must have a name?" His smile was amused. It was better then the smile before.

"Co-coriander. Coriander Sage. Or just Cory. Or just Sage. I couldn't care less. My mother calls me Cory and sometimes my friends call me Sage and..." I was babbling mindlessly. I had barely any control over what I was saying.

"Well," he said kindly "I'll let Snik take you to your new room." He smiled again, and glided away. "Please join me in the playroom later on, if you will, Ms. Cory. I'd love to get to know you better." He said over his shoulder.

I just sat there, looking at him like a deer in the headlights.

What'll happen to me now?...

It was all I could think. Snik went for my shoulder, but I recoiled away. Like I was going to let him touch me again.

"I'll walk myself." I spat at him.

"Follow me then.." he grumbled. I followed as he said, but at a distance. We retraced the steps that the boy had taken, up the stairs, but instead to a right after the metalic steps ended. We walked down a hall lavish with thick curtains in various royal colors; blue, red, violet, and green. Everything had a low light to it from large chandeliers. I walked, gaping, and almost ran smack into Snik.

"Here's your room." He growled at me, practically throwing me through the opened door. I stifled a gasp. It was the most grand room I'd ever seen. Adorning a large, four post bed with a canopy and a billowing fire. The pattern on the thick bed spread was a rich red; it was velvet. Everything was made out of sturdy ceder, and sitting in the middle of the plush bed was a huge teddy bear, the blue ribbon around his neck glowing in the firelight.

"Don't ask me why he gives you humans such rooms, while I stay in the basement." He seemed to gag on the word "human", but she let it go.

"Join Boy in the playroom in exactly two hours. New cloths are in the closet." He waved his hand in the direction of a ponderous looking closet, and began to lumber away.

"Wait," I said "Where's the playroom? Which room?-"

"It's the huge, white double doors. Only one second floor, only one white double doors. You can't miss it." And with that he slammed the huge door, the bang ricocheted from the walls in the hall.

What the Hell is going on?...


End file.
